Look Around, Look Around (Do You See Someone Worth Dying For?)
by Lyssita Lennon
Summary: For eons the Sentient war threatened the stability of the multiverse. It was only very recently, with the intervention of Rawkus, that a tentative armistice was declared. As part of the agreement, twice a year the Blue and Red Sentients come together to watch their champions in the Gladiator ring as a way to relieve tensions left over from centuries of war.
1. Here We Are Again

Chapter 1. Here We Are Again

For eons the war between the Red and Blue Sentients threatened the stability of the multiverse. As battle zone after battle zone, planet after planet, were ravaged and destroyed in the fighting, it wouldn't have been long before there wasn't a multiverse left for them fight in. It was only when both sides were on the brink of wiping the other out for good, that the multiverse stepped in.

Built around a piece of the core from the Nexus, Rawkus rose from the center of the multiverse. A being that neither Blue nor Red understood, he brought to their planets the same destruction that spread throughout the multiverse. He declared the Sentient war over then and promised that any further conflict would have catastrophic results.

This threat in mind, the Red Generals and Blue Council came to a tentative armistice. As part of the agreement, twice each would send a team of five vehicles to the ancient arena; and Blue and Red would come together to watch their champions in the gladiator ring as a way to relieve tensions left over from centuries of war. As a show of good faith, Rawkus was made Gameskeeper and given all authority over the arena.

But that was ancient history.

Vert Wheeler had been a champion of the Blue Sentients for about three years. He could still remember the day when he had encountered Sage on the Salt Flats after in intense lightning storm. Her vehicle had been damaged, and while Vert found the whole thing strange he still offered to help as much as he could. He was able to get her moving again and it wasn't until several days later that she reappeared.

"_Vert Wheeler, you have shown courage and a quality of leadership that I have not seen in centuries. Will you return with me and fight as a champion for my people?"_

He'd said yes almost immediately. It was exciting. A new adventure. He'd get a cool car. Besides there was nothing keeping him Handler Corners, anyways. Without goodbyes, he'd followed Sage through the portal to what would be his new home. She presented him with a vehicle designed specifically for him. Cherry red, fast, and sleek, Vert named it the Saber in honor to the giant chainsaw that popped out of the front hood. Over the course of the next couple of days, she had brought others who would fight alongside him as a team.

Stanford was a DJ in London before Sage had found him. He could mix a baseline better than anyone in country and never missed the center target when playing darts at the bar. His grasp of sound and deadly accuracy was what led Sage to recruit him as the team's artillery expert. His vehicle looked a bit like a sports car, if it was purple and had multiple cannons that could fire precise soundwaves like bullets. Appropriately, he had called it the Reverb.

Agura had been working on her family's nature preserve when Sage approached her. It was her skills with baiting and tracking that led her to become the team's hunter. Her vehicle, named the Tangler, was like a jeep with spider legs that could crawl across the walls of the arena and surprise rivals from above. She had also quickly been named second in command.

Zoom had joined them next. While it had taken some coaxing to get the story from him, he eventually revealed that he'd run away from home in an effort to exercise some measure of control over his life. Sage had found him after he'd won the underground mixed martial arts championship. He was nimble, and an excellent fighter which was why he became the team scout. Likewise, his vehicle was adept and could maintain short periods of flight. He'd called it the Chopper since it was technically a motorcycle, but also the wheels had blades that he could summon at will.

Sherman and Spinner were the last members added to their team. Twins that had been inseparable all their lives, they shared many of the same interests such as computer hacking, engineering. Sage found them after graduation from one of the best tech schools to exist. It was tricky getting them both seeing as she couldn't break the rule of five vehicles, but the brothers didn't seem to mind sharing. Their vehicle was massive, functionally a tank that Sherman drove with a turret that Spinner controlled. They'd called it the Buster. Combined, they were the team's tech and tactical support.

Together, they were known as the Battle Force Five.

"_But there's six of us!" Spinner protested._

"_We're counting vehicles, little bro." Sherman said. _

_Spinner stuck his tongue out. "I knew that."_

They'd spent months training in the simulator, getting to know their vehicles and each other. Zoom, in particular, had developed a fondness for Vert that Agura likened to hero-worship. Vert tried to brush it off, but as the weeks went on he'd found himself paying more and more attention to Zoom. Sometimes their eyes would meet, and both would go red in the face for catching each other staring. After they'd won their first fight in the arena, Vert pulled Zoom in for a dance at the gala celebrating their victory. It was there, under the dim lights of the ballroom Vert had kissed him and made known his feelings. Zoom had just grinned, said "About time," and kissed Vert again. Sage had been surprised of course, but simply made them promise that engaging in a romantic relationship would not affect the Battle Force Five negatively. And it hadn't. Just over three years had passed since then.

...

Battle Force Five was working late in the simulator that night. The second match of the year was the next day, and Vert had wanted to get in as much training as possible before then. He didn't know what Krytus and the Reds would throw at them this time around.

Their first time in the arena, they'd fought against Sark, robots found commonly on the Red planet designed to do whatever was wished of them. These ones had been specially equipped for combat, but they hadn't been prepared for the sheer power of the vehicles Sage created. They'd won easily that time.

The Reds had stepped up their game after that. The Sark hadn't worked, so Krytus had followed Sage's example of recruiting a team from another planet. Warriors from planet Vandal, or as Spinner had called them, mutant furries, provided a challenge, but again the BF5 had prevailed.

After that defeat, Krytus himself built new Sark, larger and sturdier than the previous ones they'd battled. These ones had names. Zemerik. Zug. Vert didn't remember the other three names. The only reason those two stuck out was because they had wrecked the Reverb. Stanford was all right, but the rules were they had to continue until only one team was left standing. It was the first time one of their vehicles had been taken down. Despite that, Battle Force Five had managed to win yet again.

Their last battle, Krytus had clearly gotten tired of losing. When BF5 entered the arena, they'd come face to face with Krytus himself. He and his most trusted companions burned through the arena at frightening speeds. The Tangler and Chopper had both lost a wheel in the fight, and the Saber had definitely seen better days, but they had done it again. Krytus had actually smashed his own vehicle after Rawkus announced it. Needless to say, he didn't make an appearance at the gala after that. Though, as long as Vert had been fighting for Sage and the Blues, he hadn't seen any of the Red's champions come to the gala.

The simulation ended.

"All right, guys," Vert said, climbing out of the Saber. "We've got another big day tomorrow. Get some rest and I'll see you in the ring."

...

The sun hung over the arena, casting its light over the stands where Blue and Red Sentients sat opposite of each other as they waited for the games to begin. Vert sat in the Saber, engine revved, ready to drive into the arena as soon as the gates opened. Battle Force Five was ready behind him.

"Blue Sentients," Rawkus's voice rang over his comm, "I present to you, your champions." The gates creaked open. Vert and his team drove slowly into the arena. "Battle Force Five!"

Vert watched as the Blue Sentients cheered. He smiled and waved at the crowd. The Blue Sentients cheered louder. He sat back comfortably in his seat. If they were already cheering this loud for them, he couldn't imagine how much louder they would get when BF5 won.

"Red Sentients, I present to you, your champions." The gates on the opposite end of the arena opened. "The Red Sentient Force!"

Spinner snorted. "Real original, huh? Maybe Krytus decided to recruit a group of humans too."

As all ten vehicles made their way towards the center of the arena, Vert had the terrifying realization that Spinner might be right.

The first vehicle he caught sight of was massive. It was all white with a red tinted windshield and had what looked like a snow plow, but with teeth on the front of it. That looked like it could do some serious damage. The large drill on the back was equally as concerning.

Next to that one was a car similar to Stanford's in that it looked like a sports car. Its weapons weren't visible at the moment, but the steely orange color and pulsing red glow was enough for Vert to want to stay the fuck away from it.

At the opposite end of their lineup was a car that sort of looked like a high heel. The back was high, curved low, then raised slightly again before flattening out. It shimmered in a color that Vert couldn't place, but he honestly wouldn't have been able to tell anyways since the ground of the arena reflected off the vehicle's surface.

The next vehicle was jet black. With a thin body that curved slightly, one large wheel at the back, and two large wheels in the front it looked sort of like a tricycle mixed with a sleeper pod. Vert didn't see any obvious weapons and that concerned him.

Across from him in the center of the lineup was the vehicle that Vert assumed belonged to the leader. It was a motorcycle, but that wasn't what caught Vert's attention. It was a fucking bright-ass pink. He couldn't imagine Krytus designing that monstrosity. When he looked at it again, he noticed the bike didn't lean to either side. Its rider was poised perfectly straight down the center, almost laying across the thing with legs tucked in protective slots. The front wheel of the bike was larger than the back. It pulsed a dim red.

Stanford gave a light "fuck" over the comms.

"We got this, Stan." Vert said, trying to reassure him. The clock overhead started its countdown. Ten. Nine. Eight. "We beat Krytus, remember? What's the worst these guys can do?"

Seven. Six. Five. "Right." He still sounded nervous, but that was normal for Stanford.

Four. Three. Two.

Vert activated the Saber's chainsaw.

One.

He lunged forward.

...

"_The winner is: The Red Sentient Force!"_

Vert watched the screens in the infirmary as the Red Sentients cheered in the stands. He was pretty sure he needed stitches from where his head hit the Saber's windshield. He'd been knocked out of the ring early on, so a cut on the forehead and sore ribs weren't the worst thing that had happened. He was pretty sure Zoom had broken arm from crashing with the orange vehicle and then getting pinned under the Chopper.

The fight had been brutal. Some parts of their vehicles had to be completely rebuilt. Their weapons were insane. One used electricity, the black car released some kind of liquid that completely shut down the Tangler, the pink one had lasers. Krytus had seriously stepped up his game. Now Vert understood why Krytus never went to the gala after the fights. Getting absolutely destroyed like that was humiliating. But he and his team would go. "As a gesture of sportsmanship," Sage had said. Yeah, well, where had Krytus's sportsmanship been when his team had lost all those times? Still, he didn't want to upset Sage and the Blues by not going.

Battle Force Five would go to the gala and come face-to-face with the team that had thoroughly kicked their ass.


	2. Send Us A Good Time

Chapter 2. Send Us A Good Time

After being cleared from the infirmary, Vert had gone immediately to his room to prepare for the gala. While he didn't want to attend tonight, he couldn't disappoint Sage by not showing, especially after his team had just lost in the arena. Good sportsmanship or whatever, Vert didn't really care. He was doing this for Sage.

That, and he wanted to see the faces of the Red champions who had thoroughly kicked his ass.

He showered quickly. Zoom would want to shower when he was cleared, and Vert didn't want either of them to be late to party. The door swung open as he buttoned up the white shirt that would go under his jacket. Zoom stepped inside, his left arm tucked into a sling.

"It's not broken." He said when he noticed Vert staring. "Just a bad sprain."

Vert let out a sigh of relief. That still wasn't good, but it wasn't as bad as he'd been expecting. As predicted, Zoom hopped in the shower long enough to wash away the dust from the arena. When he emerged, Vert tried not to laugh at him as he attempted to get dressed with only one functioning arm. Zoom stuck his tongue out.

"I'll just get Sherman's help." He declared and turned to walk out, shirt unbuttoned, and dress pants slung over his shoulder.

"Okay, I'll help." Vert said laughing. He snatched the pants and held them out like someone would for a toddler. "Though, I'm not really used to helping you into clothes…" He let his voice trail off, knowing the innuendo wouldn't be lost on Zoom.

Zoom snorted. "If we're late for the gala, Sage will kill us."

"True." Vert started on the buttons. "But that doesn't mean we can't leave early."

"Can't have victory sex if we lost, dude."

Vert choked. Zoom grinned mischievously. Vert finished buttoning Zoom's shirt without further comment. He retrieved two ties from the dresser, a gold one for Zoom and a deep red one for him. He still hadn't undone the knots from the last gala, so all he had to do was slip it over his head, tuck it under the collar of his shirt, and tighten the knot. He did the same thing for Zoom and helped him into his jacket before putting on his own. They were ready for the gala.

They met the rest of the team in the games room. Sage liked it when they all arrived together. Vert whistled when he saw Agura's dress. It was a deep green with a high collar and full sleeves, very fitted to her body, and with a long slit in the skirt that ended at her calf. He briefly wondered how Sage had managed to convince her to wear that. Her dreads were even down tonight. Agura, of course, shoved him.

"Fuck off, Vert." She said turning towards the door. "Let's just get this over with."

Vert just took it in. She was upset because they had lost. He could deal with that later. Right now, they had to get to the ballroom on time.

Everything here was connected via skywalk or underground tunnel. The arena was at the center while the dorms, training grounds, simulator room, and ballroom were all offshoots in different directions. There were several different routes they could take to the ballroom, but the main entrance was located off the skywalk, so that was the way Vert led the team. They walked in silence.

The ballroom was dimly lit, save for the glow of the Blue and Red Sentients that had already arrived. A few of the Blues clapped when BF5 entered, but for the most part no one paid attention to them. All eyes were on the stage where the victors would be introduced at the start of gala. Sage smiled when she saw them.

"I am extremely grateful that you are here tonight," she told them smiling. "While you may have lost today's battle, your presence here in the face of defeat proves an even greater victory for the Blue Sentients." She was referring to the fact that Krytus had never shown up the gala in years the Reds lost. Now, he was standing proudly near the stage chatting with one of the Red generals. A chime went off and he stepped up onto the stage. Vert and the BF5 turned towards the stage. He was ready to see exactly who was behind the Red Sentient Force.

"My people." Krytus bellowed over the crowd. "I present your champions!"

The curtain parted and Vert had to do a double take. After seeing their vehicles, he had suspected they were human, but he hadn't been expecting to see AJ standing on that stage. He'd known AJ pretty much his whole life. Even after he moved back to the Yukon, he and Vert had stayed in touch, often spending whole summers with each other either in Canada or Handler Corners. They were best friends. So that was why when AJ hadn't come back from a camping trip eight months ago, Vert was the first person his parents contacted. Sage had let him bring the whole team back to earth to look for him, but after two weeks they hadn't found anything and had to go back to prepare for the arena. It was part of the reason they'd taken heavy hits in the battle with Krytus. He'd been so worried about AJ, but apparently, he was here. How long had he been here? How did he even end up here in the first place? Vert would have to ask him as soon as he got a chance to talk to him.

Standing next tot AJ was another man. Tall with dark hair that hung across his face and dark eyes, he looked like he stepped right out of some eight grader's emo anime boy notebook. He looked uneasy with the spotlight and slid closer to AJ.

A flash of color on the other end of stage caught his eye. She had to be one with the equally flashy vehicle. Her black hair curled wildly down to her exposed, tanned shoulders. She wore rounded glasses like the ones you would see in old movies. Vert couldn't place her features, but her eyes had a similar shape to Zoom's and her nose had a similar shape to Stanford's. In a glittering dress, she flashed easy smiles and waved to the crowd of cheering Sentients.

Beside her, but not dressed nearly as flashy as she was, stood someone who looked about the same build and height as Vert, save for maybe a couple inches. Though, while they were on stage Vert couldn't tell which of them was taller. His skin was darker than the Cortez brothers, but only a smidge lighter than Agura's. There was a patch of skin across his left cheek that was lighter than the skin around it and it took a few minutes of Vert staring to realize that wasn't the only similar spot. Vitiligo, he remembered, seeing pictures online once. His brown hair was shaved at the sides, but long on the top, and coiffed up in a pompadour-type style. He looked amused by the crowd.

And in the center between pompadour and AJ was who Vert assumed was their leader, aka, the one who drove the pink monstrosity that could shoot lasers. At first, he thought she was just really short. The height difference between her and the rest of the team was significant, and it took several minutes for Vert to realize it was because she was sitting in a wheelchair. Had that happened in the arena? He didn't remember her taking any hits that could have done that. Then again, he was knocked out pretty early. Either way, she regarded the crowd with a cool expression. Her blonde hair was cut short and curled into loose ringlets that framed her face. She raised a hand in a combined gesture that both acknowledged the crowd and pushed up her glasses.

_The Red Sentient Force. _

Vert whirled around to face his own his own wide-eyed team. They whispered frantically to each other.

"Is that-"

"Vert's friend?"

"Where the fuck-"

"We looked-"

"I know!"

"And the others!"

"Where you think-"

"Guys!" Vert shushed them. "Yes, that's AJ and yes what the actual fuck?"

"Who are they?" Spinner asked taking another peek at the stage.

"Time to find out," Vert said. It looked like they were coming down from the stage now. He immediately pushed his way through the crowd, dragging Zoom over towards AJ. "AJ!"

AJ looked around confused. Vert waved at him and his eyes widened. "Vert?" He pulled Vert into tight hug. "Dude! It's good to see you! What are you doing here?"

"Me? What about you, dude? You literally went missing." Vert reminded him. "The police were involved! Even my team and I looked for you!"

"Wait, really? That was cool of you guys! I'll have to tell them all thanks later."

"AJ. Focus."

AJ rubbed the back of his neck. "Right. Sorry. So yeah, I was out camping in one of my usual spots. I got everything set up and went for a walk through the snow when suddenly this huge storm comes out of nowhere! Snowstorms I can handle, but this wasn't a snowstorm. What was it called again, Tezz?" He turned to the man with the emo bangs standing beside him.

"A storm shock, AJ." Tezz informed him politely in what sounded like a Russian accent.

"Right! A storm shock! Anyways, it was freaky, dude. I had to close my eyes. And when I could see again, I definitely wasn't in the Yukon anymore."

Vert stared at him for moment. AJ had been sucked up by a random storm shock? He would have to ask Sage about that later. "Okay, but that still doesn't explain how you ended up here or why you're working for Krytus, like Jesus, AJ, the dude's not a good guy."

"Whoa, Vert," AJ held up his hands. "Krytus literally saved my life so I think that makes him a pretty good guy."

"He what?"

"Yeah!" AJ said. "He got me out of, uh, wherever I was."

"Battle zone, AJ."

"Yeah, a battle zone! Thanks, Tezz."

Tezz nodded, then he turned to Vert. "Krytus rescued all five of us from some of the most desolate places in the multiverse. Without him, there's no doubt that we would have died prematurely. I would suggest watching your language around the rest of our team. Some of them are armed." He gestured towards the black-haired girl who was currently talking to Agura.

Vert swallowed nervously. "I'll, uh, keep that in mind."

...

The gala was in full swing now. Music played just loud enough to be heard over the cacophony of the numerous quiet conversations that were going on throughout the ballroom as everyone danced. Sherman had already danced with Sage, Agura, and even Stanford before moving out of the crowd to stand with Spinner on the sidelines.

"Hey bro, wanna sneak out with me?" Spinner asked. "I downloaded a new game the other day."

Sherman gave him a flat look. "I don't think I could sneak out of here even if I wanted to." He was literally the tallest person in the room, save for Krytus and a few other Sentients, but still. Someone would notice if he left. And then someone would tell Sage, who would then say how disappointed she was that he had left early, and that wasn't something he wanted to deal with. Besides, disappointing Sage was usually Stanford or Spinner's job.

"Sooo, what are you gonna do then? Stand here all night?"

He could. It wasn't like he was the only one who wasn't dancing with someone right now. The leader of the Red Sentient Force for instance, was sitting on the other end of the room with her chin in her hands. She looked at the dance floor with an expression Sherman couldn't place and sighed.

"No," Sherman said suddenly getting an idea. "I'm going to see if she wants to dace."

Spinner blinked. "Who?"

"Her." He gestured across the room.

"Her? Like the one in the wheelchair?"

"She can ride a motorcycle, bro."

"True." Spinner nodded. "Good luck, bro."

Sherman ignored his brother and made his way across the ballroom. He could tell the second she realized he was approaching her because she lifted her head and watched him with curious eyes. He stopped maybe an arm's length from where she was seated. "Hi."

She was trying not to smile. "Hi."

"I'm Sherman."

"Viv." She looked around the room for a moment before turning back towards him. "So, Sherman, what even is there to do around here? You know, aside from the obvious, of course."

"There's plenty of things to do if you know where to look." He said, mainly referring to the games room back in the dorms. It would be nice to play against someone who wasn't Spinner. Or Zoom. Or Stanford. The whole BF5, really. They were all sore losers. "Maybe I could show you sometime?"

This time she actually smiled, and Sherman briefly forgot how to breathe. "I'd like that."

It took him a minute to recover from that, but when he did, he remembered why he'd come over here in the first place. "Would you like to dance?" He asked, holding out a hand.

She eyed him skeptically. "You know I can't even stand, right?"

Sherman grinned. "Trust me."

"Okay." She sounded hesitant but took his hand anyways. He pulled her out of the chair and into his arms. "But if you drop me, I will kill you."

Sherman chuckled at the threat and stepped onto the dance floor. Viv's smile grew wider as they twirled across the ballroom in time with the music. He was pretty sure both their teams were openly staring at the two of them, but he really didn't care. And judging by the look on Viv's face, neither did she.

The first song ended. Then a second. Then a third. Viv looked at him with wide eyes.

"Do I even weigh anything to you?" She asked him.

He shook his head. "Not really." He said, not missing that she used that as an excuse to pull herself even closer then they already were. "I could keep this up all night."

...

Spinner walked back towards the table with snacks on it, his hands in his pockets, and a frown on his face. Agura had just caught him trying to sneak out of the ballroom. And she hadn't been nice about it either because as she put it "If I'm stuck here then so are you" but neither of them actually had to be stuck here if Agura had agreed to look the other way and then sneak out too. But no. They were all stuck here until Sage said so.

He huffed. So maybe there was no sneaking out, but then again, maybe if he bothered Sherman enough, Sherman would punch him in the face and then Sage would have to let him leave because he would bleed all over the dance floor. It was perfect. Other than being punched in the face, but it would be less painful than staying here. Spinner immediately started looking around for Sherman. He found Vert, Zoom, Agura, Stanford, but not Sherman. Which was weird considering he was like six and a half feet tall and nearly impossible to lose. He could be in the bathroom, Spinner thought. After several more minutes of waiting and searching, there was still no sign of his brother. He went over to Vert and Zoom.

"Hey, Vert, have you seen Sherman anywhere?" Spinner asked. "I can't find him."

"Yeah. He should still be with-" Vert paused, looking over the room confused. "Oh. I guess not? Where the fuck did he go?"

Spinner laughed nervously. "Did we just lose my little brother?"

"How the fuck did we do that? He's huge!"

"Right!"

"You know he probably just asked Sage if he could leave, right?" Zoom said. "It's late and she knows he'd go straight to bed instead of getting into shenanigans like the rest of us."

Spinner nodded. Zoom had a point. "Yeah..."

A hand fell on his shoulder, and Spinner jumped. He turned to see two members of the Red Sentient Force, the girl in the glittering dress and the guy with the pompadour hair. It was the one with the pompadour who had touched him.

"Sorry to interrupt, but ya boy didn't go to sleep." He said. "Viv totally dragged him out of here to fuck."

Spinner's eyes went wide, and his jaw dropped. "Um. What the fuck?!"

He shrugged. "Yeah, she's kind of a slut. Name's Axel, by the way. And this is Sandra." The girl waved. Spinner just stared at the two of them. He wasn't sure how to process any of that.

Vert cleared his throat. "Axel. Sandra. Thanks for that." He said. "But I've known Sherman for a while now, and he definitely doesn't seem like the casual sex type."

"Yeah!" Spinner jumped in. "Not my little brother!"

Axel shrugged again. "Don't say I didn't warn you." He turned and walked away. Sandra winked before following behind them.

Very suddenly grabbed Spinner by the shoulders. "You don't really think-"

"Sherman?" Spinner shook his head. "Never."

...

She was soft.

Her hair, her lips, the little sounds she made whenever he kissed a spot on her neck for too long. She would have marks there tomorrow, but so would he. She'd been very enthusiastic about that as he'd stumbled through the halls trying to focus on not dropping her while she kissed him and fumbled with his tie. She dropped it just outside the door to her bedroom. He would have to grab it later.

His lips found herself again just as she started pulling him down towards the mattress with her, though they were careful not to break the kiss. He kicked his shoes off before they settled closer to the top of the bed.

"Sherman," she muttered between kisses. "My shoes."

She couldn't just kick them off because they had a strap around her ankle to hold them in place, and even if they didn't, she wouldn't have been able to kick them off anyways. He broke the kiss and moved to quickly undo the straps, dropping her shoes onto the floor. Instead of moving back to kiss her lips, however, he decided to make use of the slit in her dress and pressed a quick kiss against thigh. She gasped.

"Do you want me to stop?" He asked.

"Never."


	3. Do You Know Me?

Chapter 3: Do You Know Me?

Sunlight filtered through the window, hitting Sherman right in the face. He groaned and turned his head in the other direction, though he could have sworn his window was on the other side of the room. Although if it was light enough for the sun to be coming in, he should probably get up because that meant he'd managed to sleep though his alarm. He was surprised no one was pounding on the door yet yelling at him to get up. Normally after gladiator matches, the team would take the next day off, but seeing as they'd lost yesterday Vert probably didn't want to waste any time preparing for the next match. He could already hear Vert complaining about not wanting to show up to the gala as the losing team ever again.

The events of last night's gala suddenly came back to him and his eyes flew open as he realized this was not in fact his room.

He wasn't sure how he hadn't noticed her before since she was half on top of him, but there she was sprawled out on her stomach and still sleeping peacefully. She was using him as a pillow.

"Viv," he said quietly, and he knew she heard him because she closed her eyes tighter.

"Do you have to?" She mumbled, nuzzling her face into the crook of his neck.

He was tempted to say no and stay there cuddling with her until Vert and the others figured it out. Then again, did he really want them to figure it out? He thought about it for a moment. No. No, he did not. "I'm sorry. I should get back before my team notices I'm not in my room."

Viv chuckled. "Good luck with that." She rolled off of him, choosing to now snuggle with the pillow. Sherman rose from the bed and started retrieving his clothes. "My team already knows."

"What? How?"

"We left my chair in the ballroom."

Shit.

"Don't worry." She waved a hand in the air. "Jax brought it back and left it outside my door."

"How do you know that?"

"Because they're a good friend. And because it gives them something to tease me about later." She pulled a blanket over her shoulders. "Just push it in here before you go, otherwise I'll be stuck here all day."

"Okay." Sherman nodded even though she couldn't see him. He'd gotten almost everything back on at that point, save for most of the buttons on his shirt and the jacket he wasn't going to even bother with putting on.

"Sherman?" She said as he was turning the door handle. "Come back any time."

He tried not to smile and pushed the door open. Her chair was in fact outside the door just like she said it would be. His tie was draped across the back of the seat.

So, her team definitely knew.

Sherman grabbed his tie and shoved it in his pocket. He pushed her chair inside like she asked before closing the door behind him. Thankfully no one else seemed to be awake right now, so he didn't bump into any members of the Red Sentient Force while trying his best to sneak through their side of the dorms. It was back on BF5's side of things that he really had to sneak around because everyone would most likely be awake by now. He'd heard Spinner in the games room, but that was easy to avoid. Almost running into Stanford in the hallway? Not as much. In any case, he made it back to his room, closed the door, and signed in relief.

Two seconds later someone knocked.

"Sherman?" Vert's voice came from the other side of the door. Shit. "You in there?"

"Uh, yeah." He answered, trying to keep his voice level. "What's up?"

"We're having a team meeting in the games room and we kinda need you there, buddy."

"Right." He said, throwing off his clothes from the gala and grabbed a pair of jeans and a tee shirt from the dresser. He changed quickly before opening the door. "Let's go."

Vert eyed him suspiciously but said nothing as they walked to the games room together. The minute they entered, Spinner started shouting.

"Sherman!" Spinner jumped from his seat on the couch. "What the fuck, bro? Where's you go last night?"

Sherman pretended to look confused. "What you mean? I was at the gala just like you, Spin."

"Not the whole time!"

Sherman just stared at his brother.

"Gotta go with Spinner on this one," Vert said. "You totally disappeared, dude."

Sherman rubbed nervously at the back of his neck. He needed to think of something fast. "I wasn't feeling very good after everything that happened, so I went to Sage and-"

Stanford gasped. "Oh my God. They were right." Sherman and the others turned to him. He was grinning wildly. "Hey, Sherm. What's that on your neck?"

_Fuck. _Everyone was looking back at him now. "It's from the arena." He lied, completely straight-faced. "You saw how hard the Buster went down."

For a moment, it seemed like the others had bought it. But Stanford was shaking his head.

"Oh no, mate. I know a hickey when I see one."

Sherman watched as realization dawned on every single one of the teams' faces. So, this was happening. He was already thinking up ways to get revenge on Stanford. Something with glue. Lots of glue.

"They warned us." Vert said, staring at nothing. "Jax and Sun from the Red Sentient Force came over and warned us. And we didn't believe them."

"I still don't!" Spinner declared, obviously in denial.

Sherman looked at his brother. "Hey, Spin?"

"Yeah?"

"Viv and I definitely fucked."

Spinner shrieked, covered his ears with his hands, and dropped to the floor. Sherman laughed.

"Was it good?" Zoom asked, which prompted another shriek from Spinner. "Tell us everything, Sherman!"

Sherman shook his head. "No. Not gonna happen."

Zoom pouted. "Please!"

Sherman turned to Vert. "Team meeting?"

"Oh shit, right." Vert cleared his throat. "So, about yesterday in the arena."

...

Viv lay content in her bed. She wasn't planning on getting up anytime soon so that's why when she heard someone knocking on her door, she chose to ignore it. The knocking turned into pounding. She groaned.

"Go away, Jax."

"We know he's gone, Viv." Their voice came from the other side of the door. "Get up."

"No. Training is cancelled today. We won, and I'm going back to bed."

"Krytus wants to see us, Viv."

Viv groaned. "Okay, fine." She pushed herself up with her elbows and looked around the room for a brief moment. Sherman had left her chair right beside the bed. She slid into her chair and wheeled herself over to the dresser, quickly throwing on a pair of jeans and a tank top. She decided not to bother brushing her hair. She was planning on showering later anyways, so she could brush it then. Besides, they didn't need to keep Krytus waiting.

"Holy shit, Viv." Jax said when she opened the bedroom door. She shrugged, and they started down the hallway. It was quiet for a moment and then.

"How was it?"

Viv stopped and turned to look at them. "You're not seriously asking me that?"

"Wait, are we talking about Viv's one-night stand?" Sun asked, popping up behind the two of them. AJ and Tezz were with her.

Tezz looked at Viv with tired eyes. "Please tell me you didn't actually sleep with one of them."

"I could tell you that," she said, lightly tracing one of the many hickeys with her finger. "But then I would be lying to you, and we don't lie to each other, Tezz."

"Jesus Christ, Viv."

She shrugged and watched as AJ dropped a hand on Tezz's shoulder. "It's not that big of a deal, eh?" He smiled, trying to lighten the mood. "It's not like it's hurting anyone."

"Exactly." Viv agreed. The five of them began moving forward again.

"So, how was it?" Jax asked again.

Tezz groaned and started walking ahead of them.

Viv sighed. "You aren't letting this go, are you?"

"No." Jax and Sun said at the same time. Jax continued. "On a scale of one to ten with one being the absolute worst and ten being you'll literally never have sex with anyone else ever again."

She thought for a moment. "Eight."

Jax just stared. Sun whistled. AJ high fived her. Tezz, despite his best efforts, had heard the whole thing and looked about ready to die. Viv smirked and continued on. They were still talking about it when they reached Krytus.

"Please, have a seat." He gestured towards the five chairs set up in a circle in the center of the room. Viv slid into the one closest to her. Jax and Sun sat on either side of her while Tezz and AJ took the ones across from her. Krytus stepped into the center.

"Congratulations on your victory." He said triumphantly. "You exceeded even our best predictions." He continued to speak, gesturing wildly. It was why none of them noticed the soft whirr of a device powering up. Viv only saw what looked like a circlet above Tezz's head when Krytus happened to point in that direction. She quickly looked at the rest of her team. Sun, AJ, Jax, and herself all had one as well. Krytus said nothing as the circlets began to glow. He grinned as the room flashed a blinding white.

...

The team meeting was a disaster. Vert had just wanted to go over what had happened in the arena and maybe talk about the gala, but all that went out the window within the first five minutes of the team being together.

"So, about the match yesterday-"

"Oi, mate," Stanford interrupted him. "Do we really have to go over this? We lost. What is there to talk about?"

"Uh, how about how to not to lose again, Stanford." Vert said. "Reverb was knocked out first."

"Saber was knocked out second."

Vert glared at Stanford. "Okay, so they caught us way off guard, but that's still not an excuse for what happened in there."

"But it kind of is though," Spinner jumped in, having moved from the floor to sitting on the back of the couch. "We didn't know what we were gonna be up against, and those vehicles were probably made with the same tech as ours."

Agura nodded. "Makes sense that the Reds would have the same Sentient chips as the Blues."

"Yeah, but why not use them sooner?" Zoom asked. "If Krytus had them, then why not use them to stop losing?"

"Maybe Krytus didn't have them?"

"But then who did?"

"Rawkus?"

"I don't think so."

"Maybe," Spinner hopped off the back of the couch and circled around to stand next to Vert. "They only work for humans and that's why Krytus couldn't use them before."

It was an interesting theory, Vert thought. He would have to ask Sage about it later.

"So, what? Krytus goes to earth and just picks out five humans to fight for him?" Stanford asked.

Spinner giggled. "Maybe he put an ad on Craisglist."

"No way." Vert said, choosing to ignore Spinner's comment. "When I talked to AJ, he said that Krytus rescued them all from different battle zones, so they have a reason to trust him."

Agura frowned. "Hmm. Could Krytus have put them all in battle zones to begin with?"

Vert really didn't want to think about the implications of that. He hoped AJ being here was just a weird coincidence and not some master plan that Krytus had put together specifically to destroy them. "Hey, Agura?" She turned to look at him. "Thanks, I hate it."

She shrugged. "I'm just saying it could be possible."

"Why don't we ask them?" Stanford suggested. "Between Vert's childhood best friend and Sherman's booty call I'm sure we can get some answers."

Sherman, who Vert realized had been quiet up until that point, leaned over from the chair he was sitting in towards to the couch to punch Stanford in the shoulder. Stanford jerked forward, off the couch, and caught himself with his hands before his face could hit the floor. He looked up at Vert. "Aren't you gonna say something about that?"

Vert made a face. "You kinda deserved that one, Stan."

Stanford picked himself up and sat back down on the couch with his arms crossed and shoulders hunched. He was pouting.

Okay, so this definitely wasn't how Vert had hoped this meeting would go. "Maybe we just skip the talking and head to the simulator?" He suggested.

"Good idea." Agura agreed. The rest of the team nodded. They walked to the simulator room in relative silence.

Just as they approached the simulator room, the Red Sentient Force was coming out the door.

"Hey, AJ!" Vert ran up to him. "What's up, dude?"

AJ looked at him confused. "I'm sorry, do I know you?"

Vert laughed. "Very funny, dude. It's me." But AJ still looked confused. "Your best friend? We've known each other since we were kids, come on, AJ."

AJ shook his head. "Sorry, dude. You must have me confused with someone else."

"But AJ-"

"If AJ says he doesn't know you, then he doesn't know you." Tezz interrupted him. "Perhaps you should be leaving us alone now."

Vert stared between the two of them. Was AJ being serious? There was no way. He'd known AJ basically forever, there was no way he could have forgotten, right? He had to be pretending, but why? Something didn't seem right here. Could Krytus have threatened AJ? Maybe if he could talk to him alone-

"AJ. Tezz." Vert turned to see Viv motioning the two of them over to where she and the rest of her team was. "We're leaving."

AJ smiled apologetically and walked over to them. Tezz, glaring, followed. Vert watched them go, unsure if he was somehow still asleep and this was all just a weird dream. He turned to Zoom. "You heard that, right?"

"Yeah." Zoom said. "Weird. Why would he pretend not to know you?"

"Because maybe to him, he doesn't."

It was Sherman who spoke. Vert couldn't place his expression, but it wasn't a good one.

"What do you mean?"

"I might have tried to talk to Viv while you were with AJ." He admitted.

"And how did that go?"

"She had no idea who I was, Vert. None of their team did."

Vert swallowed hard. This all felt very wrong. "Maybe she was pretending too?"

"I don't think so." Sherman was shaking his head. "Something about it feels off."

So Vert wasn't the only one who noticed it. He was starting to get a bad feeling.

"You think it's mind control?" Spinner asked suddenly.

Vert and the others turned to stare at him.

"What?" It's a valid suggestion!"

Vert took a deep breath. They would come back to the simulator. Right now, he needed to talk to Sage.


	4. Do You Want to Know?

Chapter 4. Do You Want to Know?

With the simulator forgotten, Vert practically ran down the halls towards the Council's chambers, the rest of the BF5 on his heels. He ignored the Diad that told him he couldn't enter the room while the council was in session and pushed the doors open. The Council of Five turned to stare at Vert and the BF5. Vert ignored them too.

"We need you, Sage." He said quickly. "It's important."

Sage looked at her fellow council members. They were all quiet for a moment, but then nodded to Sage. She turned to Vert. "Very well." She gestured for them to leave the room. "Come with me." She led them down the hall to a smaller, windowless room, and motioned for Spinner to close the door when they were all inside.

"What is going on, Vert?" She asked. "Are one of you ill or injured?"

Vert shook his head. "No, we're fine."

"Then what is the problem?"

"It's about the arena. The Red Sentient Force."

Sage nodded. "Go on."

"Well, I-" Vert wasn't quite sure how to phrase it. _Sage, I think your brother's erasing the minds of his gladiators and we're worried what that could mean for not only them, but us as well. Also, we can't really prove it, so uh, yeah._ Because that sounded rational.

"Do Sentients use mind control?" Or Spinner could just come right out and say it.

"I do not follow." Sage looked at Vert confused. "What does this have to do with the arena or the Red Sentient Force?"

"We think he erased their memories." Vert said. "Remember my friend on earth that went missing? AJ? He's part of their team, Sage. We grew up together and at the gala he knew that. But when we ran into them outside the simulator today, he had no idea who I was." He left out the parts with Sherman and Viv. Knowing Sage, she probably already knew anyways.

Sage's eyes narrowed. "It is standard procedure to alter the memories of gladiators that we do not intend to use consecutively. If you saw them outside the simulator then it follows that Krytus does intend that team to continue battling." She paused for a moment. "Do you have any proof of your claims."

"Um, my whole childhood?"

Sage shook her head. "Do you have any undeniable, physical proof?"

"I- No."

"There is nothing I can do then." Vert opened his mouth to protest, but Sage stopped him. "I understand your concern, Vert. But I cannot bring about accusations like that without definite proof. Despite what you may feel, unless my brother is harming them, there is nothing I can do. Just as he unable to do anything regarding you. I must return to the Council now, Vert. Please try to understand."

"I understand." Vert said through clenched teeth He would get proof, somehow, and then AJ and the others would be safe.

...

After the meeting with Sage, Vert had cancelled their training for the day, and stormed off. He'd cancelled training the next day and the day after that as well. Tensions were building among the team, so when Zoom had suggested that they practice sparring with each other, the idea was met with enthusiasm. Sure, it was fun ramming the Buster into the Reverb during a free for all simulation, but actually shoving Stanford and knocking him flat on the mat was so much more satisfying. Especially after the whirlwind of events that had happened over the past few days. Vert called the match, and he and Stanford returned to the sidelines while Vert pulled two new names out of one of his old hats. Spinner against Agura. That was going to be interesting to watch.

...

The locker room in the gymnasium buzzed with activity.

About halfway through the BF5's sparring session, the Red Sentient Force had entered the gym, evidently with the same idea. The gym was big enough that they could practice separately, ignoring the other's presence in the room for the most part.

At least, until they had come over and suggested that the two teams practice together. Sherman could tell that Vert was hesitant to agree and had probably only done so in an effort to try and jog some of AJ's memories. Their names had been called out first. When they hit the mats, it was obvious that the two of them had some sort of history. Vert knew what AJ was going to do before AJ did it, much AJ's confusion. Vert won that match easily.

Sandra and Agura had been next. They were well-matched and if Vert and Viv hadn't stepped in and declared the match a tie when they did, then the two might have actually ended up killing each other.

Sherman hadn't been surprised when Vert pulled his name from the hat once again. He knew he was fucked, however, when Viv ended up pulling her own name from the lineup. When he'd glanced back at the BF5, he could tell Vert immediately regretted agreeing to this, as well as Stanford grinning with his phone in his hand, no doubt recording everything. The Red Sentient Force looked unconcerned with the match-up though. Viv had rolled up to the mats warning him that he'd better not go easy on her.

Long story short, she'd won. And no, he hadn't gone easy on her either. She was quicker than he'd anticipated. That, and he hadn't been expecting her to launch herself out of her chair at him, effectively throwing off his balance, and knocking them both to the ground. She'd come out on top, of course, chest heaving. She grinned.

"_I win."_

The sound of her voice coming from the video on Stanford's phone played yet again. He would have to hack into it later and delete it, though, he was pretty sure Stanford had already sent it to everyone. Okay, so he would have to get revenge on Stanford for that later.

He was still mostly ignoring everyone when Vert appeared beside him.

"Hey, we're all gonna go grab some lunch. You coming?" He asked.

Sherman shook his head. "I'm gonna hang back for a bit. Grab a shower. I'll catch up with you later."

"Sure!" Vert said. "See you later, Sherm."

"See you later."

The locker room grew quiet as everyone left. Sherman pulled a towel from his locker and threw it over his shoulder. He was about to head for the showers when Viv came around the corner.

"Hey! Glad I caught you!" She said smiling. "Thanks for not going easy on me back there. Makes winning all the more satisfying."

_Was she teasing him?_

"No problem." He replied, matching the tone she'd just used. "But for the record, you only won because you caught me off-guard."

She stared at him for a moment. "Okay. Fine. Rematch."

"What?"

"You and me. Right now. Rematch."

"Seriously?"

"Oh yeah." Her voice lowered. "Unless, you don't think you can handle it."

"All right." He said, knowing full well this would end terribly. "You're on."

...

Viv groaned as her back hit the tile. Between the steam from the shower and his mouth on hers, she found it difficult to breathe. She didn't want to breathe. She wanted to drown herself in this moment, in the familiar feel of his embrace. The way he kissed her, the way he seemed to know exactly where to touch her had her mind racing. Surely, she would have remembered if they had done this before, right? One of his hands slid further up her thigh and suddenly she didn't care about that anymore. That could be explored later. But for now, she was too busy drowning.


End file.
